Fern Britton health: Star describes her health battle as ‘very physical and consumes’
This Morning: Dr Chris reveals symptoms of his depression
Fern Britton has had an enduring career on television and owing to her longevity is her on-screen warmth. From easing the public into their day on Breakfast Time in the 1980s to hosting cookery game show Ready Steady Cook and her presenting duties on ITV’s This Morning, Fern has a knack for lifting the national mood.
Fern’s easygoing energy belies the years she has grappled with depressive episodes.
“I now understand what can trigger an episode – in my case tiredness, anxiety, life changes or upheavals,” she said in an interview with Somerset Live.
“Although I’ve been well now for quite a while and I’m not on medication or expecting another episode, I’m sure one will come along, that’s just the way of it, but I don’t have the dread of it.”
Fern revealed how she does not flee from an incoming depression episode but confronts it head on.
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“You just have to stand still, let it crash into you and go out the other side. It’s very physical and consumes you when it happens. I think of it as a black cloak which has been put over me,” she said.
The TV host revealed that ensuing in talking therapy keeps her condition stable.
How do I tell depression apart from a bad mood?
According to the NHS, depression is more than simply feeling unhappy or fed up for a few days.
“Most people go through periods of feeling down, but when you’re depressed you feel persistently sad for weeks or months, rather than just a few days,” explains the health body.
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Some people think depression is trivial and not a genuine health condition.
“They’re wrong – it is a real illness with real symptoms. Depression is not a sign of weakness or something you can ‘snap out of’ by ‘pulling yourself together'”, adds the NHS.
Fortunately, with the right treatment and support, most people with depression can make a full recovery.
Key treatments
There are various treatments that have been found to help with depression.
There are many different talking treatments that can be effective in treating depression.
According to the UK’s leading mental health charity Mind, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a popular treatment tool for depression.
CBT is a type of talking treatment which focuses on how your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect your feelings and behaviour, and teaches you coping skills for dealing with different problems.
It combines cognitive therapy (examining the things you think) and behaviour therapy (examining the things you do).
Other talking therapies include:
- Group-based CBT
- Interpersonal therapy (IPT)
- Behavioural activation
- Psychodynamic psychotherapy
- Behavioural couples therapy – if you have a long-term partner, and your doctor agrees that it would be useful to involve them in your treatment.
“If self-help, computerised cognitive behavioural therapy or physical activity have not helped you, you might also be offered an antidepressant medication, either on its own or in combination with a talking treatment,” explains Mind.
There are different types of antidepressant:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
- Tricyclics and tricyclic-related drugs
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
- Other antidepressants.
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